Wolf shot in Roberts County

The state Game, Fish and Parks Department says the female wolf weighed about 70 pounds.

The department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act and state law and that it is illegal to kill them.

Officials say people who plan to hunt coyotes in northeastern South Dakota, particularly in northern Roberts County, should use caution to make sure the animal they are shooting is a coyote and not a wolf.

Wildlife officials say the female wolf, shot Sunday, was traveling with a second, larger animal that also likely was a wolf.